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Whenever I tried the old Joseph’s Pizza that used to be located on the Southside, I used to walk away vaguely disappointed. Decent food, a nice atmosphere, but the place felt like it had very little heart and absolutely no soul, no connection at all to the busy neighborhood it served.

This is certainly not the case with the Joseph’s Pizza located in the heart of Atlantic Beach or the one on Main Street. Both of these establishments have created distinct personalities, aided by Joseph’s longtime staff and abetted by diverse patrons from nearby neighborhoods.

I’ll save Main Street for another day and focus on the small shop in Atlantic Beach. Located in a small strip of shops adjacent to the venerable Ragtime, Joseph’s Pizza has several small tables out front, mismatched and crowded tables inside and incredibly good pizza — available by the slice or by the pie, both made with homemade crust, either whole wheat or regular. The whole wheat is fantastic, with an earthy ground-grain flavor that fills the entire restaurant with the irreplaceable perfume of baking bread.

Gourmet pizzas include the Florence ($9.29), with tomato herb sauce, feta, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh spinach and mushrooms. Another beauty is the Tivoli ($9.59) with an Alfredo sauce (the real deal), mushrooms, broccoli, chicken and a light topping of mozzarella cheese.

We wanted a classic, and everyone loved the New York Style Pepperoni Pizza (14-inch large, $12.50). The menu says the pizza will take 30 minutes, but the puffed up crust, crispy bottom and chewy pull of each bite is well worth the wait. Toppings were plentiful, and while I prefer a bit more seasoning with my red sauce, everyone else was completely satisfied.

My Lasagna ($9.59) was a baffler. It came to the table bubbling away from the oven, with layers of firm pasta, a variety of ground, seasoned meats, three types of cheese and topped with browned mozzarella. But there was something off about the red sauce. It bothered me until I discovered the source — three leaves of bay, hidden in one layer. I’m guessing this was an oversight, but it made the dish wrong at a very basic level.

One dish that made everyone happy was the Joseph’s Classic Chicken Parmigiana ($11.99). The small house salad of iceberg lettuce, onions, shaved carrots was simply dressed with a classic vinaigrette. Lightly toasted garlic bread was served on the side of an enormous platter of crisply fried chicken breasts topped with a red sauce fragrant with garlic and basil. Melted mozzarella made a nice finish and there was enough for all four of us to enjoy several bites.

One last note: The service could not have been more pleasant. It was a busy night, with every table taken and meals did take a while to arrive. In the interim, drinks were promptly filled, salads brought to table quickly and our server was helpful with both menu suggestions and sweet chitchat. Families came in and out, some arriving on bikes, most of them walking. Clearly, Joseph’s Pizza is right at home in Atlantic Beach.